Will Newspapers Survive?
Sam Chapman
July 01, 2009
Many print newspapers are struggling and some have gone bankrupt. Revenue from ads is way down in many the classifieds sections of many newspapers has shrunk tremendously.
Think of what became available over time as means of communication. Way back, it was TV and radio. Later it was cable. Then in the mid 1990s the internet took the world by storm. Through all of this, newspapers had to change with the times. Now there have been even more advancements in getting the word out. We now have blogs, podcasts, online video and social networking sites. By the time a newspaper prints a story these days, it has already been online for hours.
So what motivates people to still read newspapers? My feeling is that people who are a little older are sort of addicted to print media. They like to hold a paper or a magazine in their hands. They still keep paper date books, unlike the younger crowd who uses cell phones for calendars. But with shrinking readership, where will the revenue come from? People can advertise all over the place online and they can target readers better on many websites.
Many newspapers have gone more online, but this still doesnīt appear to be working. If they charge people to subscribe, people will go elsewhere. Last month, a new online newspaper was introduced to the public in Austin. Think of the Austin Post as something like a multi-author blog, with writers from all over the area contributing anything from stories Austin real estate to the arts to personal observations to regional water issues and many other things. The Post isnīt allowing advertising yet, but it may as traffic grows.
What I think we will also see sticking around are the small newspapers that are tied closely to smaller communities. The Lake Travis View is a great example. This is a newspaper that might as well be called the Lake Travis ISD Times when kids are in school. My feeling is that papers like the View will probably continue to do well? When kids are in school, half of the paper is dedicated to school sports, clubs, etc. and these stories are full of photos. Parents love these stories and love to cut them out or copy them to send out to family and friends.
These smaller newspapers that focus on a small geographic area also keep up with other developments and stories in the area they serve. Still talking about the Lake Travis View, it will print stories about golf tournaments in The Hills, the new Lakeway Regional Medical Center, the opening of a new regional mall, new subdivisions and other very local things. These are stories they probably would not find in a larger, more regional newspaper.
Author bio: Sam Chapman is an Austin real estate agent who has lived and worked in the Austin area since 1987.
Think of what became available over time as means of communication. Way back, it was TV and radio. Later it was cable. Then in the mid 1990s the internet took the world by storm. Through all of this, newspapers had to change with the times. Now there have been even more advancements in getting the word out. We now have blogs, podcasts, online video and social networking sites. By the time a newspaper prints a story these days, it has already been online for hours.
So what motivates people to still read newspapers? My feeling is that people who are a little older are sort of addicted to print media. They like to hold a paper or a magazine in their hands. They still keep paper date books, unlike the younger crowd who uses cell phones for calendars. But with shrinking readership, where will the revenue come from? People can advertise all over the place online and they can target readers better on many websites.
Many newspapers have gone more online, but this still doesnīt appear to be working. If they charge people to subscribe, people will go elsewhere. Last month, a new online newspaper was introduced to the public in Austin. Think of the Austin Post as something like a multi-author blog, with writers from all over the area contributing anything from stories Austin real estate to the arts to personal observations to regional water issues and many other things. The Post isnīt allowing advertising yet, but it may as traffic grows.
What I think we will also see sticking around are the small newspapers that are tied closely to smaller communities. The Lake Travis View is a great example. This is a newspaper that might as well be called the Lake Travis ISD Times when kids are in school. My feeling is that papers like the View will probably continue to do well? When kids are in school, half of the paper is dedicated to school sports, clubs, etc. and these stories are full of photos. Parents love these stories and love to cut them out or copy them to send out to family and friends.
These smaller newspapers that focus on a small geographic area also keep up with other developments and stories in the area they serve. Still talking about the Lake Travis View, it will print stories about golf tournaments in The Hills, the new Lakeway Regional Medical Center, the opening of a new regional mall, new subdivisions and other very local things. These are stories they probably would not find in a larger, more regional newspaper.
Author bio: Sam Chapman is an Austin real estate agent who has lived and worked in the Austin area since 1987.